Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of local authorities who employ private, third-party enforcement services to issue Fixed Penalty Notices for environmental crimes.

Taking effective enforcement action is a practical step that councils can take to tackle littering.

Our guidance on effective enforcement is clear that enforcement action should be proportionate and councils remain responsible for the whole enforcement process, whether it has been contracted out or not. Councils were reminded of this in a letter from a Defra minister earlier this year.

The Department has not made any assessments or estimates specifically regarding the use of Fixed Penalty Notices.